The Lifestyle of Strays
by RoyalAdvisor13
Summary: A story about Hermione Granger's tendency to collect strays, and the relationships that result from that. Rated M for language, just to give me wiggle room. Hermione Granger/Bucky Barnes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** If my dreams came true, one of the first ones answered would be to own Harry Potter & co. and/or the Marvel universe. Unfortunately, I'm still awake, while my dreams still remain just that - dreams.

 _ **The Lifestyle of Strays**_

 **Ch. 1 -** "I have always brought home stray animals - everything from squirrels to wild rabbits to foxes and turtles." - Amy Weber

From the very beginning, Hermione Jean Granger had a wide-open heart. For such a kind-hearted girl, the bullying from her peers was excruciating - she simply couldn't understand how the other kids could hate her so much just because of her love of books and esoterica. Some children deal with this by hardening their hearts, fighting back, or changing themselves to fit in, but not Hermione. If Hermione knew one thing though (she of course actually knew many), it was that she wouldn't change the essence of who she was for anybody who resorted to such cruel tactics.

And so it was that at the young age of 6, Hermione opened her heart to the animals.

It was a rare week that Hermione didn't bring some poor, misbegotten creature home to her parents, pleading with her parents to help her heal them. She would find squirrels with broken legs, birds caught in plastic, and once, she even had to call her parents for help with a fawn in their backyard.

Realizing their daughter's tendency towards aiding the ailments of wildlife, Drs. Jenna and Stephen Granger quickly arranged for several lessons with a close friend of theirs by the name of Arran Davies, who was a veterinarian a couple towns over and volunteered in the RSPCA. It was here that Hermione truly began to thrive.

Every Saturday, Arran would pick Hermione up from her parents house at 8am, and he would allow Hermione to help out with some small and less risky tasks at his clinic, such as answering the phone and entertaining the more docile animals while he spoke with their owners, and then they would go and spend an hour or two volunteering at the RSPCA. As the years passed and his faith in Hermione's abilities (and certifications) grew, she graduated from running the desk to preparing the rooms for the animals, until she eventually began to to help him with the basic checkups. By her eleventh birthday, she was a card-carrying member of the RSPCA volunteers and knew all of the members' names where she volunteered, and with some willpower, several confusing weekends, and by pulling _a lot_ of strings, Arran had managed to convince a local university to test her for her Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in both the small animal and equine modules.

Everywhere she went, Hermione had the ability to charm animals out of their hiding grounds, to convince them to trust her. When she went to the zoo, all of the habitats would be active. Even the least friendly cats would curl up next to her, and would happily spend hours just in her company. Unfortunately, her passion only served to further ostracize Hermione from her fellow classmates, but Hermione rarely let it affect her anymore - after all, she knew she would always be accepted by her animals.

This all changed though, upon the arrival of an elderly tartan-clad woman the summer before her twelfth birthday….

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Hermione stared at the letter, shell-shocked. A witch? How was this even possible? She would have suspected it to be a cruel joke by one of her classmates, but despite her odd apparel, she could tell that this woman, one Minerva McGonagall, meant business.

"I realize that this must come at a shock to you and your family, but I must assure you that I speak the truth, and if you wish it, I will perform some magic so as to set your minds at ease," sounded the professor's scottish-tinged voice.

Jenna and Stephen Granger, who were only barely in better shape than Hermione, looked at each other for a minute before Jenna slowly nodded her head and said "Y-yes, I believe that would be appreciated."

McGonagall steadily made her way into the middle of the Grangers' sitting room, and before their very eyes, turned into a distinctively marked silver tabby cat.

In Hermione's mind, this completely knocked away her doubts on the validity of the letter and introduction - after all, they had just watched a woman shrink down into a cat! Nothing could replicate that, and besides… the longer she thought about it, the more times she remembered something simply unexplainable happening around her - the time when she lost her grip on a tree 10 feet above the ground while trying to help a cat, and instead of falling, the tree seemed to gently lower her down, or when she was 5 years old, hiding from her peers (this was before she discovered her animals, remember) and whenever one of them looked directly at her, their eyes just slid over her. Of course, this is even ignoring the biggest clue of all - her tightly knit bond with all sorts of animals! Really, what could it be if not magic?

Now that she was no longer plagued with doubts about its existence, Hermione began to grow more and more excited. This explained everything! For years she had wondered why she had to be so different from the others, one of the only questions she couldn't find the answer to, except here it is, staring her in the face - Magic! Surely, once she joined this wonderful world the professor spoke about, then she would find some friends, find out where she belongs, right?

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Wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

No matter what she did, it seemed she just couldn't fit in. It hadn't even been a month into the school year yet, but she was pushed to the side, yet again. It seemed like the only thing she could do right was her schoolwork and caring for animals - except she couldn't even do the latter of those two here. Since Hogwarts was a boarding school, she couldn't help out at the clinic and volunteer at the RSPCA every Saturday, in fact, she couldn't even help the Keeper of Keys - was his name Hagrid? - with the animals he took care of; only the third year students and up who took the Care of Magical Creatures elective were allowed to help him. The closest she could get was visiting the Owlery and researching the various breeds of magical animals and Beings that inhabited the Magical World.

In the beginning, she spent most of her spare time in the Owlery because not many of the people who teased her even here were willing to climb the stairs to follow her, but after two weeks she had to stop. You see, any student who spent an abnormal amount of time in any high tower (that wasn't one of the dorms, of course) was called in for a meeting with their Head of House. This was in order to determine if those students were at all suicidal. Although there are wards to prevent someone from falling and hitting the ground if they jumped with the intent to cause themselves harm, that doesn't mean a student couldn't find some other way if they were determined.

So Hermione was forced to relocate to the library, spending her copious spare time researching the Wizarding World's various magical species. However, the events of the Halloween Feast soon changed that.

Ron's harsh words hurt - well, who wouldn't be stung by the phrase "She's a nightmare, honestly. It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends"?

But no. What really hurt was that so many students stood around, and could clearly see her… but not one said a word in her defence. Her hasty retreat to the girls' bathroom had more consequences than she ever thought possible.

Hermione had friends!

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Hermione was worried.

She had sent _five_ letters to Harry in the past month, but hadn't received a reply to a single one of them. Even Ron had replied to the first letter she had sent, and they had exchanged correspondence a few times, but when she asked Ron, he hadn't gotten anything from Harry either.

Now, contrary to everyone's belief, Hermione wasn't only book smart. She was very intuitive when it came down to it, and she had noticed how much Harry had acted like one of her wounded animals last year. She had quickly put together his actions with how he almost expertly avoided questions about his home and how poorly all his clothes fit, and had come up with a conclusion she definitely didn't like.

It was because of this that she realized her tendency to adopt and take care of strays and injured wildlife extended also to people.

Although really, she almost had more sympathy for the slugs than Ron after Draco called her… well… _that_. Almost, though she's not a monster!

Then, about two-thirds of the way into the school year, Hermione figured out what was located in the Chamber of Secrets - a Basilisk! Unlike most other people's natural reactions to this though, Hermione's first though was of concern for the basilisk. Who had been taking care of it? Followed quickly of course by concern for her friends and peers and the need to share the information with Harry, Ron, and the professors.

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Third year was definitely one of the most exciting for Hermione. Before it even started, she found her familiar, a half-kneazle most would call ugly (but never Hermione) named Crookshanks. But that's not the only animal she wanted to help before school started - on the train ride to Hogwarts, Hermione met Professor R. J. Lupin, a man in patched robes with too many scars and a beat-up trunk. Really, was it any surprise she wanted to pull out a sandwich or buy something off the trolley for him from the moment she laid eyes on him?

During the school year, she was finally able to take the Care of Magical Creatures elective she had been hoping for since those terrible first few weeks two years ago. To be honest, she probably used the time-turner just as often to go back and help Hagrid with the animals as she used it for classes and schoolwork. Then, after that fateful class with the Hippogriffs, she almost tripled her time spent back in an effort to help Hagrid put together a defense for poor Buckbeak!

And that was before they even chased after Ron into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow.

Hermione quickly discovered three three things that night.

The first is what it felt like when one of her strays betrayed her. She had spent the year keeping Professor Lupin's secret, and doing what she could to keep others off of his scent, so to speak. Even if it was only for a few minutes, believing that he betrayed them - betrayed her - in the Shrieking Shack cut her to the core.

The second was why she never felt protective towards Ron's rat, Scabbers. Previously, she had thought it was due to how possessive Ron was towards him. Maybe there simply wasn't enough space for Hermione too? But when she saw Scabbers transform into Peter Pettigrew, she knew exactly why.

And thirdly - werewolves are scary. And apparently, they pay attention to her. There's no way her howl sounded realistic enough to draw Moony away from their past selves. The only thing she was basing it off of was a description she read in a book! But now, Hermione knew that her talent with animals also extended to the magical ones as well - even if perhaps she wished it wouldn't!

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Fourth year was much slower than third year, but at the same time all the more heartbreaking.

In her fourth year, Hermione decided to adopt and fight for an entire species - the House Elves. How could no one else see it? How abominably they were treated, with no protections set in place for them. It wasn't that she was trying to stop them from cooking and cleaning, or whatever they liked to do, but she was trying to ensure that they had a _choice_ , that they were protected and had options, that they could leave if they were abused, could demand pay if they wanted it. Granted, upon reflection, she definitely could have gone about it in a better way, but she simply couldn't fathom how nobody in the Wizarding World understood that everyone deserved basic rights.

If that wasn't enough, Hermione was forced to watch as Harry was thrown head-first into that bloody _stupid_ Tournament, and how it seemed everyone but her turned on him. Her first human stray, tossed into these tasks with no idea what to do, and three years less experience than the other champions.

Even the tasks themselves were horrifying to her protective tendencies, and not just because Harry had to go through them. No, in the first task alone, she had to watch as four proud, magical beasts were manhandled into the arena for other's entertainment. She was almost sick as she watched Krum's dragon step on its own eggs.

And then.

The horrifying end.

She could _feel_ the distress emanating off of Harry upon his return. One of _her_ strays, tortured and made to participate in the resurrection of the same dark wizard that had been trying to kill him since before he even reached the age of two. Helpless to stop the traitor Pettigrew from murdering Cedric Diggory. She was certain that he'd always feel guilty about that, no matter how she tried to help him. After all, he told her later that Cedric was only there because he said they should grab the cup together. Knowing her Harry, he was taking all the guilt for that, no matter that he couldn't have predicted what was going to happen.

Fourth year was when it all started to go wrong.

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Fifth year wasn't much better.

While Hermione and Ron waited for Harry at 12 Grimmauld Place, Hermione was practically in agony. Stuck with really only Ron for company, whom she still hadn't entirely forgiven for his comments at the Yule Ball, and cut off completely from Harry. Every day she wanted to write to him, but with Headmaster Dumbledore's forced embargo on all information out of the house, she was helpless. Sure, she could have found a way around him, but finding a way to explain to Harry that everyone was purposefully cutting him off? She wasn't sure how to do that even face to face.

In school, she was introduced to the _lovely_ Professor Dolores Umbridge, who, despite her toad-like qualities, failed to endear herself to Hermione in the slightest. Hurting _her strays_? That prejudiced, toad-faced bitch! The nerve of that cow, forcing the students in detention to partake in self-mutilation! Honestly, the best part of that horrid year, besides meeting Grawp, was definitely abandoning Umbitch to the centaurs. It was right on par with slapping Draco in third year.

While Hermione did of course enjoy meeting the Thestrals, the outcome of that night at the Ministry was one she had never wished for.

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Sixth year. Why did it always seem to come back to Ron? Just because she was kind, and had an open heart, did he seem to think "oh look! An open target. Let's practice our aim"? He clearly saw she had crush on him, but just because he was a bit jealous over the Slug Club, he decided to throw it back in her face by dating Lavender? Her and her precious "Won-Won".

After his callousness at the Yule Ball, she really shouldn't have been surprised. She was, however, extremely happy to have learned the spells _Avis_ and _Oppugno_. Especially when used together on idiot boys who let petty feelings rule them….

She always knew the birds were on her side.

Sixth year was when Hermione learned that not only would she defend her strays to her dying breath, she also had the strength to defend herself.

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Seventh Year.

The Year That Wasn't.

The Lost Year.

Her parents, who will never remember again. She left Crookshanks with them, guarding them. Hopefully, if she makes it out of this, she can come and pick him up, her familiar - but she couldn't bring him with them, not with where she knew they'd be going.

Protecting Harry, herself and Ron, everyone relying on her to be the brains of the group. Sometimes, it wasn't enough. She wasn't quick enough when Ron was splinched. It took her too long to figure out the purpose of Gryffindor's sword. The boys seemed to rely entirely on her to figure out where the next Horcrux was, and she was just one person!

Ron's jealousy came back to haunt them when he left. She was doing the best she could, but he never seemed to see. He left, and it was just her and Harry. Her brother in all but blood, who took care of her for a change.

But then they went to Godric's Hollow.

One wand split between the two of them, nerves ever fraying, they were running out of food, but she still couldn't seem to stop herself from leaving little clues for Ron, just in case.

And then, just in case happened. Ron came back! For once, things seemed to be looking up - they found the sword, they destroyed the Horcrux, and they were all together again.

But it was not meant to be. Because then, they were caught.

Tortured

She couldn't even think

Pain, all-consuming pain

The Cruciatus Curse, over and over and over until

The scar

Her wonderful brain, so full of information, but it couldn't save her.

"We didn't take anything!" the only thing she let herself say, never breaking.

Then Dobby. Wonderful Dobby, one of the House Elves she fought so valiantly to secure a future for, the turning point.

Harry and Ron escaped because of Dobby's help. Dobby, amazing, brilliant Dobby with the chandelier and the apparition.

But she still

couldn't

save him.

Left with the reminder on her arm but she couldn't stop moving, no, so close to the end they made it this far she had to make it just a bit further, just a bit.

Further.

And somehow it's a good idea to break into Gringotts, dressed as the woman who just tortured her.

Her heart, almost ripped out of her chest when she saw how the once proud dragon was being treated. Freeing the dragon was one of the things she was most proud of on the Horcrux Hunt.

And then it was time to go back to Hogwarts, where it all seemed to begin.

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The Battle of Hogwarts. With each dead body she saw, each face she recognized, another part of her seemed to break.

Severus Snape. Loyal to them to the end, despite what everyone thought. She always thought he seemed like another stray, but stuck by himself for so long, he didn't know how to be anything else.

Remus and Nymphadora "Tonks" Lupin. Leaving behind their infant son, their cub - well. Harry's cub now, she supposed. He was godfather. And the world seemed a little less bright.

Fred Weasley. Oh Merlin, Fred Weasley. It almost would've been kinder to take them both. She saw cases like this all the time when she worked at Uncle Arran's clinic, where whoever was left simply didn't have the willpower to stay.

Lavender Brown. She never wanted it to have ended like this, despite everything that happened between them.

Colin Creevey. The little boy with an avid interest in photography, too much of a Gryffindor to be able to sit back, not when others were out there fighting for him. After the Battle of Hogwarts, someone developed the film in the camera he always carried with him and found pictures of the Battle. There's a permanent exhibit for remembrance in the Ministry now.

Fifty other people, too many to name, but she will always remember their faces.

The overflow of emotions with Ron. But she knew he'd never be able to put his jealousy behind him. They both agreed it wasn't something they wanted to pursue.

The worse part though, was when she couldn't find Harry.

His damn saving-people thing, always sacrificing himself first. Her first human stray. If she broke before when she saw the dead, it was nothing compared to how Hermione Jean Granger felt when she saw Hagrid carrying Harry's limp body to the courtyard as Lord Voldemort swept forward. She saw the same thing reflected in the eyes of everybody there.

And then Neville. Brave, brave Neville, the most Gryffindor of them all.

And then.

And Then.

AND THEN.

Harry was alive!

Almost before she knew it, they were all back in the courtyard, after Molly Weasley obliterated Bellatrix Lestrange, after Neville killed Nagini, and suddenly.

It was over.

It was over, but she still had to hold back tears as she and Ron convinced themselves that Harry was alright, as the last of the Death Eaters tried to escape, as George turned to his side to talk to Fred, only to find an empty space.

But it was all over.

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A/N: Well let me tell you after sitting down and writing this, I have so much more respect for those authors that turn out 5 or 6 thousand words or more weekly. I have been working on this since 6pm, and it is now 3am and I still haven't sent it to my beta (the lovely tjwillow34) yet, but once I started, I couldn't stop.

A couple things I wanted to get out of the way:

I know it's not exactly realistic at the beginning when Hermione's gained those certifications but let's just go with it ok? I was really just trying to emphasize the influence animals had on her life, and how she focused on them specifically.

Constructive Criticism only please, no flames, if I don't know what you don't like, then I can't fix it.

There are a few things I changed to fit with the story better, like how George turns to talk to Fred, it originally happened when Harry revealed his status as living, and I just moved it to the end. However, if there is anything I need to fix that you see, please do not hesitate to leave a review ;) or pm me, my box is open.

I do not live in the UK anywhere, so if anyone sees something I messed up about the culture/jargon/groups, please let me know.

I will be updating sporadically, I have too much homework not to, but if I set a deadline I will do my absolute utmost to stick by it.

This is definitely going to be a multi-chaptered story, featuring Hermione as she travels and tries to recover from the war, and basically adopts a bunch of strays, both human and others. Once I've got the little family all assembled and maybe a few plot points hit (nothing's really hammered out yet), I will be moving her and the story to America. I do know that this is going to be a [Hermione Granger x James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/The Winter Soldier] pairing, but at this point, I'm not sure of much else, so if there's anything you want me to add or consider, let me know, and I'll see if I can fit it in! Next, to give credit where it is absolutely due, the main idea for this fic came from MaryRoyale's wonderful story _A Year of Siremione_ , chapter 4 - MaryRoyale, if you somehow end up reading this, I loved your portrayal of Hermione as such a badass mum, adopting the children no one else would, so thank you for writing! Lastly, thank you for sticking with me through this freaking monstrosity of an author's note, and I look forward to future chapters with you!

Finally off to sleep,

RoyalAdvisor13


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** The day I own Harry Potter or Marvel is the same day the Doctor will show up and drag me off on crazy, alien filled adventures - so clearly, not today.

* * *

 **Ch. 2** \- "Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the right answer." - Denis Waitley

 _It was over._

 _It was over, but she still had to hold back tears as she and Ron convinced themselves that Harry was alright, as the last of the Death Eaters tried to escape, as George turned to his side to talk to Fred, only to find an empty space._

 _But it was all over._

* * *

Hermione held her breath as the Floo swept her back to the Burrow. It had been one week since that fated battle, one week of seemingly non-stop funerals, trials, and awards. There were more living recipients of the Order of Merlin award now than there had been in the past two hundred years put together. She, Harry and Ron had each gotten one of course, first class. Many of their fellow warriors each received a second or third class award, and several were even given out posthumously, such as the one issued to Severus Snape.

They had just been to the last funeral, for Fred Weasley, and it was the first time George had come out of his room since he returned to the Burrow after the Battle. It was heartbreaking to see him like that, his spirit just gone.

She sighed and returned to the room she was sharing with Ginny, suddenly she simply couldn't stand the black clothes she stood in; it seemed they were all she had been wearing recently.

As she headed towards the bathroom for a shower, she heard the sounds of everyone else tumbling through the Floo downstairs. She just couldn't deal with everyone now, though. She was tired, emotionally wrung out, and still recovering from those months on the run, so she just didn't have the energy to deal with the drinking, storytelling, and crying that was sure to follow the funeral of one-half of the red-headed menaces.

Besides, she had a trip to Australia to pack for.

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The next morning, she followed the steps downstairs, her trusty beaded bag from the Horcrux Hunt held at her side.

"Oh, good morning dear," Molly Weasley spoke quietly, "I've just been cooking up some breakfast. Would you like any of it before you leave to catch your portkey?"

"Oh thank you , that would be lovely," she replied

"Hermione, I've told you before, if anyone's earned the right to call me Molly, it's you and Harry."

"Sorry Molly," she said sheepishly as she grabbed a plate and made her way to the table, where Arthur, Harry, and Ginny, already sat.

"Ah, Hermione!" said Arthur, the only one really awake enough to greet her.

"Hello Arthur, how are you all today?"

"Mione, I love you like a sister, but did you have to leave so early in the morning?" Harry groaned out.

"Harry, for Merlin's sake, it's 8:30 in the morning, it's not as though it's the crack of dawn!" she said, exasperated, but amused as Ginny hit him on the arm.

"Good morning Hermione, don't mind him. We're happy to be up to see you off," Ginny said, glaring at Harry.

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione smiled, before starting to dig in. She only had about thirty minutes before she had to be at the Ministry, so she ate quickly before heading up to the bathroom to perform her morning ablutions.

Once she was ready to leave, she headed back downstairs in order to say her goodbyes. This was supposed to be a simple trip so that she'd be able to find Crookshanks and bring him back, but she knew it would be emotionally challenging, seeing her parents, but knowing they would have no idea who she was.

Harry, Ginny, and Arthur had since been joined by Molly and Ron, the only others currently staying in the Burrow. Bill and Fleur had returned to Shell Cottage, Charlie had made his way back to the Dragon Reserve in Romania, and George had gone back to his apartment above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Oh my dear, are you sure you're ready to do this," Molly fussed, "I know you always have a plan for every situation, but if you're not ready, we won't mind you waiting a few more days."

"Molly, I'll only be gone for a few days, I promise. I've had this planned since I had to send them away," Hermione replied, stepping in for a famous Molly Weasley hug, "Besides, I'm looking forward to having Crookshanks back with me," she finished, speaking into Molly's shoulder at this point.

"Mollywobbles, let the poor girl go. I do believe that broken ribs will make her little trip much harder; and anyways the rest of us need to say goodbye as well!" Arthur spoke up.

Molly finally stepped back, pulling out a handkerchief from one of her many pockets.

"Yes, of course. Hermione, dear, we are going to miss you so, so much!"

She smiled tearfully at Hermione before bustling into the kitchen, intent on cooking something to take her mind off of Hermione's imminent departure.

"Hermione," Arthur started, pulling her into a hug, "please just remember that no matter what, we believe in you, and if you need any of us during the next few days, don't hesitate to Floo or owl us." he said, pulling back.

"Thank you Arthur," she replied, "I promise I'll get in touch if anything happens."

Arthur left to go and check on Molly, while Ginny shoved her way through the two boys so she could talk to Hermione.

"Oh Hermione," she said as she hugged her, "we know how much this means to you, but please, please be careful. You know the aurors haven't caught some of the Death Eaters yet."

It was true, of course. Not all of the Death Eaters had been at the Final Battle, and in the pandemonium following the disintegration of their Lord, many were able to escape. This had lead to a very busy time for the aurors, as they chased down leads and raced to catch them before they were able to flee the country.

"Don't worry Gin, I will make sure to 'Maintain Constant Vigilance!'" she joked, squeezing Ginny back.

As Ginny stepped back, Ron and Harry stepped forward and caught her in an awkward, but comforting three-sided group hug. The three of them had barely been outside of each other's presence since they left on the Hunt, and this would be the first time they wouldn't be able to see each other every day since. As they pulled back, Hermione wiped a couple of tears from her eyes.

Surrounded by her two best friends, she couldn't help but wonder if she was strong enough to do this by herself.

As she told Ron and Harry this, Ron said "Aw, Mione, you have nothing to worry about. You're one of the strongest witches we know, and you know if you get into any trouble, we won't even bother with the next Portkey there - we'll just make our own!"

"Ron, that's illegal!" she said through her laughter, feeling better knowing they would always be there for her.

"You know we would do it anyways," Harry spoke up, a fierce look in his eyes.

"Yes, I know," she said, with a soft smile spreading on her face, "just like I would do for either one of you."

"Hey Mione, what time does your Portkey leave?" Ron suddenly interjected.

"9:15, but we're supposed to arrive at the Ministry 15 minutes early, why?"

"Well I just thought you'd want to know it's 9:55…"

Hermione let out a high pitched shriek, and with one last hug to Harry, Ginny, and Ron, she hurried out the front door of the Burrow, and with a twist, Apparated to the Ministry's entrance.

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She quickly made her way through the Ministry of Magic, passing the Remembrance Gallery on her way to the Portkey Check-In station. She made it there just as a clock tolled out 9 o'clock, and greeted the woman sitting there. When she gave her name she saw the secretary's eyes widen momentarily as she looked up to confirm that it was _the_ Hermione Granger standing in front of her.

"W-welcome to the International Portkeys section, we hope you enjoy your trip," she stumbled, regaining her composure.

"Thank you," Hermione replied, making her way to the waiting room.

She took one of the empty seats in a corner and surveyed the room. The room itself was decently sized, with light yellow walls and a tile floor. Seats lined the edge of the room, and there was a table in the center with magazines and Ministry brochures on it. There was a door on the wall to the right of the corner she was in, presumably that was the room where the Portkey travels took place. Several seats to her left was an elderly woman with a birdcage, who was napping while waiting for her portkey. Across the room, there was a young man waiting impatiently for his trip, bouncing his knee and looking at the door every few seconds. Five minutes after 9, as she waited for her Portkey, the Portkey to America was announced, and both the young man and the elderly woman took it, leaving her alone in the waiting room.

Ten minutes later, her Portkey finally got called, and she made her way through the door. A bored-looking Portkey Administrator handed her a beat-up top hat and started rattling off safety tips.

"Please keep ahold of the Portkey until your journey is completed. When you land, take a few minutes to regain your breath and your footing before you exit the landing room. If you have any luggage or pets please keep a tight grip on them through your journey. Enjoy your trip."

She barely had time to say "Thank you" before the Portkey began whirling her away to Australia.

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It was her second day in Australia already and she still hadn't found Crookshanks. She'd used her Familiar Bond and narrowed down his location to somewhere in Adelaide, but this was one of the cities with the biggest thriving magical community so there were numerous other bonds muddling up her connection to Crooks. She was currently traversing the streets, trying to tug on her bond with Crooks and see if she could figure out the right way, but as she passed an alley, a hand reached out and pulled her in.

Lashing out at anything she could touch, she managed to knee whomever grabbed her between their legs and headbutted them in the face. As she struggled to free her wand from her arm holster and defend herself, her attacker regained their bearings and pointed a wand at her. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was the red jet of a _Stupefy_.

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When she came to, she was in a dark, empty room with boarded up windows, and her wand nowhere in sight. When she went up to the windows, she could feel the tingle of wards, and when she checked the only door in the room, she noticed not only wards, but a bar on the outside blocking her escape. Before she could try to hatch an escape plan, however, she had to scramble backwards as the door suddenly opened, revealing someone she had never wanted to see again.

Antonin Dolohov

"Well, well, well," he purred, "imagine my surprise one afternoon as I'm walking down the streets when someone brushes past me, and who do I see but the little Mudblood bitch who has been such a thorn in my side for years. I know you're here for a reason, so tell me - WHO SENT YOU?!"

Her mind racing, Hermione realized he thought she had been sent to recapture him. Clearly, he was one of the Death Eaters who slipped away before the aurors caught him, and now, he believed she had been sent to relieve him of his freedom.

"You know, if you hadn't abducted me, I would've had no idea you were here," she replied defiantly, "I came here on a personal errand, it had nothing to do with you."

Enraged, he rushed forward and backhanded her across the face, making her stumble backwards a few steps.

"TELL THE FUCKING TRUTH!" he shouted as he conjured a hard, wooden chair and shoved her into it, casting an _Incarcerous_ to fasten her to it.

Deciding to keep him talking until she could come up with a plan, she replied "I told you, I'm not here for you!" as she spat blood out of your mouth.

Suddenly quiet, Dolohov hissed out "Nosy Mudblood bitches should know their place - serving their betters. If you won't tell me, I suppose I'll just have to… persuade you. _CRUCIO_!"

Hermione began flashing back to her moments on the floor of Malfoy Manor, trying frantically to keep from losing herself in her memories, when she thought of one thing. This didn't hurt half as bad as Bellatrix's version! Oh sure, the pain was still a fucking bitch, almost overwhelming her at points, but really. Dolohov had nothing on Lestrange.

She began to chuckle through the pain, making Dolohov stop, annoyed he might have broken her.

"Why the _fuck_ are you laughing through this, Mudblood?"

"Well you see," she croaked in full lecture mode, "the cruciatus curse draws its strength from both anger and power. While you're certainly angry, your power doesn't hold a candle to Bellatrix Lestrange's, and I've already survived her."

Furiously, he began casting various jinxes, hexes, and curses, seeming to favor the cutting curse, while she sat and bore it all with gritted teeth, encouraging her magic to work on healing her wounds. This continued for almost an hour, her stamina slowly being sapped away, especially when he continued to throw the odd _Crucio_ into the mix. However, she couldn't give him information to something that didn't exist, so he was left wondering who had sent her to get him. Finally, he seemed to get fed up with her, and a curse she'd never heard before left his mouth.

" _Ulcere Sanguis_!"*

Immediately, she felt as though her blood was lava, and was roasting her alive. In a moment of self-preservation, she reached for her magic and _pulled_ , just trying to do something to prevent her early demise, when she felt something click - and suddenly, the pain was gone. She looked up, red-skinned, sweating and gasping and discovered the reason why:

Crookshanks!

He had squeezed through a hole in one of the windows and was currently attaching himself to Dolohov's face with claws. She remembered that connection she forged when she pulled on her magic and realized she must have _Called_ Crookshanks to her side in her moment of desperation.

As she listened to Dolohov screaming while Crooks clawed his eyes out, she noticed his concentration slipping on holding her ropes together, and managed to perform enough wandless magic to loosen the ropes enough for her to slide out. When she shakily stood up, she grabbed one of the boards from the window Crooks had crawled in through, the wards now broken. Crookshanks, sensing her plan, quickly jumped off of Dolohov, allowing her a clear shot at his face, which she took with _immense_ satisfaction.

Dolohov thunked to the ground, his consciousness having fled. Searching him, she felt extraordinarily lucky to find her wand in one piece, albeit a bit more scratched up than she had left it. She quickly performed a shaky _Wingardium Leviosa_ to sit him in the chair that, until recently, she had been sitting in, and transfigured the board into iron chains and a padlock to restrain him with. Having done so, and hitting him with an extra _Stupefy_ for good measure, she walked out of the room, struggling to keep her balance.

She entered a living room of sorts, in about the same condition as the room she had just left, and before she fell over, quickly laid down on the only piece of furniture in the room - a broken and dilapidated sofa with a faded floral print. Before conscious fled her for the second time that day, she hurriedly conjured her signature otter Patronus and sent it to Harry and Ron with a one word message - "Help."

As she descended into unconsciousness, she remembered her first encounter with Dolohov, during the Battle at the Ministry, when she got the thick, purple, rope-like scar slicing down her chest. However, she knew that here, she could trust Crookshanks to keep her safe while she once again slept from wounds inflicted by Antonin Dolohov.

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The next time she woke, she was in a bed in the Spell Damage Ward at St. Mungo's. For a second, she couldn't remember why that seemed odd, but then it all came flooding back to her.

Australia. Dolohov. Torture. Crookshanks.

Crooks! Where was Crooks? Was he okay? She tried to sit up for a moment to look for him, but soon realized how bad of an idea that was after her body began to protest. Luckily, Crooks, sensing her distress, stood up from the foot of her bed and walked up until he was laying on her chest.

"He wouldn't leave you for anything, you know," a soft voice said from the side.

Turning her head to her right, she was met with a flash of long, red hair.

"Ginny?"

"Oh, we were so worried Mione! When Harry and Ron got your Patronus, they had practically a whole contingent organized to go and rescue you. Kingsley even went with them, even though he's the Minister now. When they finally brought you and Dolohov back, you wouldn't wake up. The Healers said it was magical exhaustion coupled with the effects from th-the torture. There shouldn't be any lasting damage, but you have to take it easy for a while. Today's the third day since they got you back here."

Hermione sat for a minute, trying to take in all of this information, when she finally had to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind.

"What did they do to Dolohov?"

"They held a public trial the day you got back - well, I say trial, but they pretty much just poured Veritaserum in him, and when they'd heard too much, stopped to sentence him. He was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, effective immediately following the trial."

Hermione closed her eyes, tears leaking out. She would never be hurt by that sick, twisted man again. He had plagued her nightmares since 5th year, though recently, Bellatrix usually took his place. Finally, she was free from this shadow that had hung over her for so long.

Ginny took her hand, comforting her through this. When Hermione had finally let go, Ginny said "I have to let Harry and Ron know you're awake and okay, they've been out of their minds with worry."

She quickly conjured her Patronus and said "Message to Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley: Hermione's awake, she's okay. Come over here as soon as you can to say hi."

Turning to Hermione, she said "Do you mind if I leave for a second? The Healer told me to go and get her if you woke up while she was away."

"No, no, of course. That's fine. Besides, I've got Crooks to keep me company now."

"Alright," Ginny replied, smiling, "now don't you go anywhere! I'll be right back."

"Ha, ha, ha, funny Ginny. Where am I supposed to go?" Hermione replied with sarcastic good humor.

Blowing her a kiss, Ginny walked out the door to find Healer Eldinbridge, the Main Healer on Hermione's case.

Petting Crookshanks, Hermione tried to think of what she would do next. She had been planning to go back to Hogwarts with the other "8th year students", but with her new injuries, she didn't think that would be a good idea. It was still the middle of May, but after everything she'd been through in the past year, including recent… events… she was forced to conclude that she didn't think she'd be able to handle going back, not in her current state of mind. Not when she'd be reliving someone's death everytime she turned around a corner. Harry and Ron had already decided to go into the Auror Early-Admittance Program, which included taking their NEWTs at the end of it, and she knew that after so long spent learning about the wizarding world, she couldn't just not complete her education with her NEWTs. Perhaps she could do a private study, and take her NEWTs separately, at the Ministry?

Unfortunately, her mental wanderings were cut short when Ginny walked back through the door with Healer Eldinbridge, and followed by Harry and Ron, who both looked incredibly nervous.

As they were about to enter the room, the Healer turned around and said "I'm sorry, I'm afraid you three will have to wait outside. Hospital policy states we can only discuss the specifics of a patient's injuries with either that patient or their legal guardian or spouse."

Rather miffed at this point, the two Weasleys accompanied by a Potter started to turn around and exit the room, after looking at Hermione to check that she'd be okay.

"Go! I'll be fine, I promise. You can come right back in afterwards, okay?" Hermione said in response to their hesitance.

Somewhat mollified, they exited the room, leaving only her, the Healer and Crookshanks there.

"It's good to see you awake, Miss Granger. Fortunately for you, none of what happened should cause any long-term complications; however there is of course the nerve damage from the cruciatus curse and you may be left with several scars from the cutting curses he used. We would like to keep you in observation for another day if you don't mind, so we can make sure there are no unexpected consequences from the Blood-Boiling curse he place on you."

"Blood-Boiling? Was that the last one he did, the _Ulcere Sanguis_ incantation?"

"Yes. Luckily, he wasn't able to hold you under it for enough time for your internal temperature to reach above 40.6 °C, so we were able to repair the damage , there's always the possibility that we missed something, so we'd like to be certain you're not suffering from from any unexpected side-effects"

"Well, that sounds reasonable. I don't see any issues with that."

"Wonderful. Once we've released you, we'd like you to limit your magic use to easy charms, and only a few per day so as not to stunt its regrowth after it depleted itself healing you and keeping you alive. After 4 weeks, it should be safe enough for you to start expanding your magic use again, but make sure to take it easy! Although I'm sure you're a lovely woman, we don't want to see you back here again for an injury so soon."

They both shared a smile, and Hermione chuckled a little bit.

"Lastly, we want to start you on a potions regimen to help encourage the re-growth of some of your organs and the over all healing process. It will be two vials a day for two weeks, one in the morning and one at night. We also encourage physical activity, nothing too strenuous, but something to just help build your muscle and stamina back up, such as jogging or swimming. Alright?"

"Sounds good."

"Fantastic. I'll be coming in intermittently to check your vitals, but for now, I'm afraid I have to leave. I'll let your friends know they can come back in, though."

"Thank you, Healer."

Healer Eldinbridge nodded and exited the room. A couple seconds later, Harry, Ron, and Ginny quietly came back into the room.

"Hey Mione, how are you feeling?" Harry started.

"Much better now, thanks. It might seem weird, but I'm almost glad it happened. Now I have Crookshanks back, and I know Dolohov can never bother me again."

"That's our Mione for you," Ron chuckled. "Now, I know I said we'd make an illegal Portkey for you, but I wasn't expecting to have to do it so soon!" he continued.

Everyone chuckled at that, an easy mood flowing through the room.

"Thank you, both. For coming to get me, I mean," Hermione said.

"Because we'd ever do anything different?" Harry snorted.

Harry and Ron smiled at her, just glad that their best friend was okay. Suddenly, Hermione broke into a big yawn.

"Alright, that's enough for now, you two. Don't you need to get back to training?" Ginny asked, trying to make sure Hermione could sleep.

"Sorry guys, apparently a coma is no substitute for actual sleep!" Hermione joked before yawning again.

"Okay, out, out, out!" Ginny said, manhandling Harry and Ron towards the door. When they reached the exit, Ron turned around and said " Feel better soon, Hermione. If you want, I can bring you a sandwich or somethin' tomorrow. Anything's gotta better than this hospital food!"

"Thanks Ron," she said, smiling, "I appreciate the thought, but you don't have to do thar."

"Bollocks! How can you recover if you don't eat well?" he said as he finally slid out the door.

"Mione, if you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know," Harry said, "we're just so glad you're safe." Once he'd gotten his piece out, he too left the room.

Ginny looked at Hermione and said "I'll let you get some sleep, okay, and I'm just gonna go and let mum and dad know you're alright, they'll be thrilled."

"Okay Gin, I'll see you later," Hermione replied, trying to fight off sleep long enough to see her friends all leave, but not winning by a lot. As soon as Ginny left, Hermione dropped into a deep sleep, so exhausted that she for once wasn't disturbed by nightmares, while Crookshanks curled up on top of her.

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 **A/N:** Hey everybody, I'm back! Thank you so much to everybody who has favorited/followed me or my story, and a special thanks to those who have reviewed! I can't believe all the positive feedback I'm getting on this, I hope I can live up to all of your expectations!

*I totally used Google Translate for this curse, I don't speak Latin, so I apologize if I've mucked it up. If any of you happen to know Latin, please feel free to correct me.

 _ **To my anonymous guest reviewer**_ \- I absolutely love your idea for a therapy dog, I'll definitely try to fit that in! What do you think about a crup? And I'm thinking it absolutely adores Crooks and Crooks only barely puts up with them, but will still defend it to his last breath. Do you think that would fit well?

So freaking happy,

RoyalAdvisor13


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: **Read this: I figured out the timeline, I'm just moving the HP verse up a decade to match the Marvel verse better, so Hermione was born in '89 and they started school in 2001, so the current year is 2008. Also, I'm ignoring canon after** _ **The Winter Soldier**_ **, so after that, I can play around with their interactions without having to worry about Thanos or** _ **Civil War**_ **or anything.**

Forgive me? I swear, when I said that updates would be slow, I meant more 1-2 months in between updates, not… 1-2 years? Explanations will be at the end should you be interested, but from now on, I really hope to stick to the shorter time lengths *laughs awkwardly*

 **Disclaimer:** Yeah, you guessed it, still doesn't belong to me, and I'm making no money off of it.

 **Ch. 3** **-** "Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting." - Joyce Meyer

" _Lastly, we want to start you on a potions regimen to help encourage the re-growth of some of your organs and the overall healing process. It will be two vials a day for two weeks, one in the morning and one at night. We also encourage physical activity, nothing too strenuous, but something to just help build your muscle and stamina back up, such as jogging or swimming. Alright?"_

 _As soon as Ginny left, Hermione dropped into a deep sleep, so exhausted that she for once wasn't disturbed by nightmares, while Crookshanks curled up on top of her._

* * *

May 12th, 2008

Two weeks till she could really move around again. Four weeks until she could use more than third year charms. It had only been two days since Hermione had been released from the hospital, and she already wanted to scream! Since Harry had focused on cleaning 12 Grimmauld place after the war, with Kreacher's (reluctant) help, he'd insisted she stay there with him during her recovery, since she hadn't had the opportunity to find a place for herself after the war. "Besides," he'd added smugly, "this way, someone can always stay with you in case you need anything."

It probably shouldn't have bothered her, since she had spent months on the run with two other people in close quarters, but they would not leave her alone! It was always someone, Harry or Ron when they were let out of training, Ginny when she was off from her job editing at Witch Weekly, Mrs. Weasley whenever she was able, and practically everyone she knew who was well enough to be out seemed to have stopped by at some point.

She knew it was just because they were worried and trying to help, but for Merlin's sake, they were trying to hand her a glass of water when it was already in her hand! She's not an invalid, honestly.

She had decided to start jogging everyday, prompted by the Healer's advice, as well as her wish for some alone time, as it were. Besides that, she also began practising yoga, as Ginny had recommended it to her before she left the hospital. Apparently, it was a popular way among pureblood women to remain duelling fit while still upholding the high standards of their usual station - who knew?

In her free time, Hermione could be found - surprise, surprise - reading and studying. She'd had another night to think about it at St. Mungo's, and at this point, she was certain that she couldn't return to Hogwarts. It's not that she didn't want to, no - Hogwarts would always be her home, just like Harry, but also like Harry, she knew if she went back anytime soon, she would be plagued by flashbacks while walking through the halls, watching her classmates, teachers, and fellow Order members fall before her eyes once more.

And she couldn't go through that again.

So, she planned. She planned, and arranged, and studied, and wrote, and it helped actually. The days started to fly by at Grimmauld place as she followed a (color-coded, of course) study schedule, and maintained her exercises. She had of course kept up her studying while they were in that tent, but no one could really argue that that environment had been conducive to academic learning. After the first few days, everyone knew not to mess with Hermione during her study time, unless she had to take a potion or had missed a meal time… after all, the severing charm and the fire making spell were learned in first year.

It was close to the end of the first two weeks when Professor McGonagall stopped by to see Hermione.

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May 22nd, 2008

Hermione was first alerted to her visitor when she heard the tell-tale _whoosh_ of the Floo from the fireplace in the drawing room.

'Odd,' she thought, on her guard, 'no one told me they'd be visiting today, at least not at this time…'

She quickly set her revising materials to the side. Grabbing her wand, she stood up and carefully made her way to the entrance of the drawing room. She knew if it came down to it, she probably couldn't do much to another wizard, given that her magic use was still restricted for another two weeks, but for some reason, magic users never seem to think of hand-to-hand combat. Just remember Draco's face in third year after she punched him!

She was about to push open the door and confront the intruder, when she heard a familiar voice call out from within the room:

"Hermione dear, are you in here?"

Relieved at recognising Professor McGonagall's voice, Hermione put her wand in her bun and pushed open the door. She knew it had to be the professor because Harry had been making modifications to Grimmauld place, one of them being an old spell Hermione had found for him that used to be placed on every house's Floo, which stripped those who crossed it of disguises. It was based on the magic in the Thief's Downfall, but had to be renewed every 49 days and took a lot of power to place, so it had fallen out of practice.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" she said happily.

"Well, I was hoping to come and speak to you about your schooling," replied the Scot's tartan-clad figure.

"Of course Professor, if you'd like to sit down I can go and make some tea. I actually have a few questions for you on that same subject."

Professor McGonagall nodded, and as she finished dusting the ash off of her robes, she sat down while Hermione left the room in search of tea (and a notebook).

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Hermione returned to the room, a notebook and pencil in her hand and the blue china tea set _Leviosa'ed_ behind her. She sat down across Professor Mcgonagall and on the table between the two of them, she released the tea set and placed down her notebook.

"So, Professor," Hermione started as she poured the tea, "I can imagine what your first question most likely is, so let me give you an answer first; I'm afraid I cannot return to Hogwarts for a seventh year. There are simply… too many memories there now."

"Aye, that is what I thought you would say," the professor sighed, "It's a pity, I must admit. You were one of the brightest students I had ever had the pleasure to teach. What do you plan to do, then?"

Blushing, Hermione replied "Well, that's actually where the questions I have for you come into play. I was wondering what the Ministry policy was for taking my NEWTs there after self-study."

McGonagall smiled, pleased with the question.

"Well dear, the Ministry actually has a week set aside for students who chose to be homeschooled or have a series of tutors which allows them to take their NEWTS. Quite honestly, it should be no problem for you to sign up for a spot in the courses you choose, not with your political pull."

Relieved, Hermione slumped back into her seat before asking the next question on her mind.

"When are the NEWTs for this year scheduled?"

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As Harry entered 12 Grimmauld Place that evening, he was immediately on guard. Something just wasn't… right. He drew his wand, already on edge from a long day at Auror training and began the nerve-wracking process of clearing the rooms on the ground floor, debating if he had time to send a patronus to Ron for back-up. As he crept down the hallway, he heard indistinct mumbling coming from the last room on the floor, probably what had set him on edge earlier. It was a truly terrifying noise, of someone speaking so fast that it came out as an indistinct, high-pitched buzz, only punctuated every so often by a sharp inhale and an odd crackling noise.

Harry stalked up to the doorway of the library, remaining hidden from the sight of whoever - or whatever - was making that noise. Prepared for the worst, he whipped around the door frame, with his wand held up at firing level, ready to take aim at any threat he saw - but instead of letting loose a barrage of spells, what he saw made him double over in laughter instead.

Because sitting in the center of the library, almost hidden behind stacks of books and parchment, ink smudges on her face and hands, scribbling frantically on various strewn pieces of parchment while glancing at the open books around her, was Hermione Granger, hair crackling and sparking with magic, and who was the source of the otherworldly mumbling.

As Harry fought to regain his breath, Hermione looked up, drawn out of her haze by his interruption. As she stared at him with her bloodshot eyes and haggard face, she whispered in a scratchy voice "Twenty days….." before turning back to the materials in front of her.

Shaking his head, Harry backed out of the library, still chuckling. Once he was in the hallway, he let out a sigh before calling out for Kreacher, who had become much more helpful after destroying Slytherin's Locket and properly bonding to Harry (much to Hermione's displeasure but grudging acceptance).

"What is Master Harry beings wanting?" he croaked out.

"Two things, if it wouldn't be a bother, Kreacher."

"Master cannots be being a bother to poor Kreacher."

"First, could you please deliver a cup of tea to Hermione in the library? And after you've done that, could you explain to me what's gotten into her while I was gone?"

Disappearing with a pop to complete his first task, Kreacher soon reappeared in front of Harry, just as Harry heard the mumbling in the library cease, while presumably, Hermione drank her tea.

"Master's being wanting to know why Missy Grangy being scary now?"

"Yes please, Kreacher."

"It was beings earlier today when Professor Cat came throughs the Floo, and was being wanting to talk to Missy Grangy about Hoggywarts and schooling. When Missy Grangy was saying no to hers returning, Professor Cat started to answer some of the many… many… questions Missy Grangy was havings," Kreacher stared off into the distance at this, still slightly traumatised.

"When Missy Grangy asked Professor Cat about the times the Ministry was being having of the Nasty tests for homeschooled witchies and wizards, Professor Cat replieds that they would be beings from June 11th to June 22nd, and Missy Grangy froze, and being shaky, said goodbyes to her Professor Cat. Once Professor Cat was being gone, Missy Grangy… well…"

"Freaked out?" Harry asked knowingly.

"Yes, Master Harry," Kreacher replied, relieved, "If that is beings all, then…"

"Yes, thank you Kreacher," Harry said distractedly as Kreacher popped away.

The Nasty tests? Kreacher must've meant the NEWTs, right? Which meant, in typical Hermione fashion, she immediately began revising once she heard how close it was, despite the fact that she could've aced the tests years ago. In fact, she was probably freaking out about the fact that she'd only have six days after her magic restriction was limited to practice the spells for the practical part of the exams.

Harry sighed in exasperation, before resolving to talk with her about it later, when he stopped her review to make sure she would get some sleep.

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Hermione sat in the library, copying down the properties of the Wiggentree and its uses in both potion making and to magical creatures, especially bowtruckles, when all of a sudden her quill was taken from her hand. She whipped her head around frantically, searching for the source of her disruption.

"Harry Potter, you give that back right this instant!" she screeched, sparks flying from her wayward hair as she stood up with her hand out.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you, and you didn't react to any of my other attempts to get you to pay attention for the past five minutes!" Harry snapped back.

Somewhat subdued, Hermione crossed her arms and said "Well? I need to get back to studying."

Harry looked at her concernedly and said "That's what I wanted to talk to you about Mione, but not in here. Let's go to the drawing room, I've had Kreacher make us some tea and biscuits.

Sullenly, Hermione turned to follow Harry into the same room she had discussed her future with Professor McGonagall in earlier.

After they had both sat down and taken their tea, Harry started the conversation he had been planning for several hours.

"Mione, you know I love you dearly, you're like the sister I wished I had, which is why I hope you'll listen to me right now. You have a bad habit of wearing yourself thin when you get caught up in revising. Normally, it's not too much of a problem, since we've always had school to keep you on a schedule, but now that you're home all day after your hospital stint, you need to make sure you're taking care of yourself and not flying into frenzies like earlier. Now, you know just as well as I do that you could've taken these tests at the same time as your OWLs and aced the lot, so, what we're going to do right now is sit down and chart out a study schedule for you up to the days you're testing. You are going to promise to follow it and to let me put in breaks for eating, sleeping, and your hobbies so you don't turn into more of a nutter, then we are going to eat this lovely dinner Kreacher is preparing for us, and finally, you are going off to bed. " Harry said firmly.

Staring down into her tea, Hermione finally (grudgingly) said "Alright…" unwillingly acknowledging that Harry was right about her study habits.

"Okay, which NEWTs are you taking?"

"Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, History of Magic, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Alchemy, and Arithmancy" she replied quickly.

Shocked, Harry took a moment to respond. "Alche-when did you have the time to take half of those courses?!"

"Well, it was more of a self-study sort of thing for muggle studies and alchemy, but I took the OWLs for them and got Os, so I kept studying and got some projects from the teachers…" Hermione replied under her breath.

Shaking his head, Harry wrote down the list of classes, and the two of them got to work scheduling Hermione's time for the next few weeks, making sure Hermione wouldn't burn herself out in the coming days.

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In the end, Harry had to slip her a Dreamless Sleep Draught to make sure she'd sleep the night before her test, but no matter what she threw at him (including a very angry and sleep deprived Crookshanks; well, it was less of a "throw" and more of a blearily yelled "Attack!" on Hermione's part), he didn't regret it. He had known Hermione for far too long to believe that she would actually sleep well the night before a test instead of focusing on some last-minute studying.

It didn't matter though, once he Flooed to the Ministry with Hermione. She was far too preoccupied with quadruple-checking her notes to be angry with him anymore. He had to steer her through the confusing Ministry hallways, lest she take a wrong turn and miss her test. They finally arrived at the testing center with fifteen minutes to spare before her first exam, when Hermione seemed to realize where exactly they were as they signed her in.

Panicking, she looked back toward Harry, who had just started to leave the testing center (A bland room with well-used furniture and a bored receptionist behind the desk).

"Harry? What if… what if something goes wrong? Something I didn't plan for, or something I didn't study?"

Harry sighed before replying, "This isn't just about your NEWTs, is it?"

Hermione stared at the ground, clutching her notes to her chest before shaking her head, her curls bouncing everywhere.

Running his hand through his hair, Harry struggled to think of what to say to reassure one of his best friends.

"Hermione, less than three months have passed since the end of the war, and none of us have had the time to properly recover from it. I mean, Merlin's balls, but it hasn't even really ended yet, has it? We still haven't caught many of the Death Eaters and supporters - and that led to your extended stay at St. Mungo's a month ago! But quite honestly Mione, I think you went through the most in the War."

Hermione's head shot up as she stared at her almost-brother, shocked.

"B-but - you died, Harry!" she said, momentarily forgetting her nerves.

"Yes, I did, Hermione. But for me, it was quick, and fairly painless. I didn't have to _obliviate_ my parents and send them away. I didn't have to face prejudice since I stepped into this world. I wasn't tortured by a goddamned psycho, and I'm not the one who didn't break under it. I'm not the one who prepared by reading every survival book I came across to make sure we survived on the run. Hell Mione, if you weren't there, we would have died the first time we ran out of food, so I'm certainly not the one we relied on for months on the run. You've done all that and more, and I can very confidently say that you are far stronger than I have ever been. If anyone can make it through all of this and _succeed_ , then my galleons are placed on you."

Hermione sniffled a bit. Harry's words hit her harder than she would like to admit. She grabbed Harry in a hug, clutching her notes in between them, as she whispered "Thank you" into his ear.

After a moment, the two friends broke apart, with Hermione's nerves more settled than before, and just in time, too. The door to the testing room opened with a small _creeeaaak_ as the receptionist stood up and spoke for the first time since they entered the room.

"Miss Granger? The testers are ready for you now."

Hermione's eyes widened as she shoved her notes at Harry, making sure to keep her quills and inkwell in hand.

"Hey," Harry said, snatching Hermione's hand as she began to turn to the testing room, "Good luck. I'll be by after training to help you home - Molly made me promise to have the both of us stay at the Burrow while you're taking your NEWTS."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said shakily, as she collected herself and prepared to take her Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests.

And that's how it continued for a week and a half, Hermione panicking over whatever test(s) she was taking that day, and Harry picking her up at the end of it and getting her back to the Burrow so she could recover in time for her next test while Molly Weasley fussed over her.

By the end of the testing period, Hermione was almost catatonic when Harry picked her up at the end of the day. When they got back from her last test, Hermione stumbled upstairs and fell into her bed.

She didn't wake up until the same time the next day.

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Hermione groggily shuffled downstairs, for once having been too tired to have any real nightmares, just a few odd dreams that she couldn't remember afterwards. Molly looked up from where she had been cleaning the kitchen and immediately began fussing over her.

"Oh Hermione dear, come, come and sit down, let me cook you something to eat, you need to get your strength back, you've been wasting away this past week, I'll have something whipped up in no time!"

A befuddled Hermione found herself seated at the kitchen, blinking in confusion and not quite certain of what exactly happened. Within ten minutes, a full English breakfast complete with a cup of tea was placed in front of her. She slowly began to start eating while Molly cleaned up the kitchen again, rambling on about her concerns for Hermione and how glad she was to see her up and moving.

"Oh Hermione dear, we were all just so worried this past week - you've really had us all concerned - and Harry and Ron did keep trying to say that this was, well, normal for you, but of course it just didn't seem healthy, dear, and - oh, what was I trying to say? Well, we're just so pleased you're back with us, dear, so very pleased!" Molly managed to get out all in a single breath, her magic forgotten as she scrubbed the dishes she had dirtied making breakfast.

Hermione (having finished most of her meal while Molly rambled comfortingly - come to think of it, she had been really hungry, hadn't she? She should probably take better care of herself…), swallowed the last of her eggs just in time to say "Thank you Molly, I really am sorry to have worried everyone so much."

Molly dried her hands on a homemade hand towel hanging near the sink before walking over to Hermione and patting her cheeks.

"Don't you worry about it, dear," Molly said before leaving the kitchen to work on her perpetual list of cleaning, "and when you're done with those, just put them in the sink, there's a good girl!"

Slightly amused at how little Molly had changed since they had first met, Hermione sat alone in the kitchen now, contemplating. Now that she wasn't laser-focused on her NEWTS, she found herself questioning what exactly she should do now - if she was being honest, it had felt almost too hopeful to dream of a future while on the front lines of a war. But now? Now, she had too much time to think about it.

She knew what everyone expected of her - Merlin, it was even what she had always thought her future would be, when she was young and hopeful enough to think about it - to become a Ministry worker, and change the Wizarding World from within. But honestly? After so many years of dreaming and finally seeing, the idea seemed tarnished - it had lost its shine. Although it might not be physical, it seemed too much like fighting another war, and she had had enough of that for a hundred lifetimes.

Even looking at it practically, the Prize money from her Order of Merlin combined with some smart investments from when she'd had the chance to speak to the Goblins about her finances ensured that Hermione had more galleons than she would likely ever need to use. Oh, she would probably never come close to the amount the Malfoys and other pureblood families had, and most definitely not what Harry had with the combined vaults of the Potters and the Blacks - but for someone like her? It was more than enough. Besides, she had a few ideas for charms to patent and research papers she had been meaning to publish, and the income she would earn from those added to her already significant vaults should be sufficient.

What? Merlin knows they'd had a bit of free time while camping on the run, and research helped take her mind off of the depressing realities.

By the time she realized the rest of her tea was cold, she was absolutely certain of one thing (well, two things, really):

Even if she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do, she knew a Ministry job definitely wasn't it, and

She had some research papers to publish.

List established (and she really had always liked lists, they were so clean, and orderly, and helpful), she placed her dishes in the sink before retrieving her Undetectably Extended beaded bag and letting Molly know she was going to Floo back to Grimmauld Place.

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Hermione sat down at a desk in the library of Number 12 Grimmauld Place and pulled a truly obscene pile of parchment out of her beaded bag, along with an inkwell and a thoroughly-chewed quill and got to work editing her research papers (some of which simply wrote the theory behind the charms she planned to patent).

Contrary to what one may expect, editing was a very soothing experience for her. Much like knitting did for Molly Weasley, editing allowed Hermione to work with her hands while leaving her mind free to think (it really didn't take all that much brain power at this point) - and think she did.

Having established what she didn't want to do, she began by exploring other career paths.

Auror? . . . Definitely not.

Cursebreaker? Certainly mentally stimulating, but too life-threatening.

Librarian? Not challenging enough.

Teacher? She shuddered here, thinking about having to deal with more students like Ron.

Researcher? A possibility, but she would simply never be able to choose just _one_ focus!

Healer? She had seen far too much bloodshed during the war, thank you very much.

So then what? With as small as the Wizarding World is, there weren't very many available to her - and by Merlin's knotty beard, there was no way she would ever be a shop girl! She sniffed at the thought.

But maybe that was the problem? The Wizarding World? Oh, she was far too out of touch with her muggle roots to simply pick up a job now (and yes, her parents had made her take her A-Levels as soon as she had caught up on her muggle schooling - so a couple of years ago - but she couldn't imagine working full-time with people who didn't know magic existed - she just _knew_ she'd slip up at some point!), but surely it held other opportunities, right?

Excited now, and on the brink of a breakthrough, she feverishly kept thinking while paying barely any attention to the editing she was slowly grinding through.

She had established earlier that she didn't really need a job except for the mental stimulation it may provide, but surely she could find adequate mental stimulation by herself? And if she was being honest, the temptation to leave the Wizarding World had always been there - not completely, though! As messed up as it was, she still loved it, it was just that sometimes, she got rather fed up with it, as with a smaller sibling.

So why couldn't she pack up and go explore - and go live? Travel freely from country to country, explore ancient civilizations, learn languages, meet new people - it sounded like an absolute dream at this point. Sure, she would miss her friends, but she would have Crooks, and she could buy an owl to keep in touch, and no one's saying she couldn't come back! Travel the world and return to Magical Britain for birthdays and anniversaries, then go back and travel some more!

And even deeper, where she almost couldn't admit it to herself, she thought she needed this. Everywhere in the Wizarding World, it seemed there was a reminder of someone or something they had lost. Getting away for a while sounded like absolute heaven.

And besides, she did have a few projects she had been planning to work on that really would be better done on her own, where she could properly reflect - namely, a memoir of her years in the Wizarding World, where she could finally throw a two-fingered salute to the drivel the Daily Prophet called "truth" and publish what really happened. Come to think about it, she had been meaning to nag Harry and Ron into writing their own version of events - maybe they could release them as a series?

Oh, but that was all for the future. More at peace with herself than she'd been in years, and excited to start planning for her eventual departure, Hermione reached for the next scroll of parchment to edit, only to find her fingers glancing off the varnished wood of the desk.

Shocked, she jolted herself out of her planning to discover that the candles she had put out for light were burned almost to the end, and that she now had a massive pile of newly-edited manuscripts that were ready to be published.

"Huh," she quietly exclaimed, slightly shocked that she had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't truly noticed the passing of the hours.

As if to punctuate that realization, Hermione heard the front door fall shut. She glanced at the old grandfather clock in the library, and, taking note of the time, knew that this could only mean one thing: Harry was home!

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A/N 2: So, I've decided that instead of using the Floo to come home after auror training, Harry likes to apparate to the end of the street and walk into Grimmauld Place because it reminds him of the first time he went there & it gives him a chance to monitor the wards and make sure they're ok. But. Anywho. Y'all are here for an explanation, aren't you? I really am sorry, time just kept slipping away from me it seemed. I just recently completed my last year of high school, so major testing coupled with the college search and various college auditions, plus my regular extracurriculars pulled my attention away from the story I had writer's block on. I can't guarantee updates will be anywhere close to regular after this, but I can promise that I will try to never let another year and a half go by in between updates.

If it helps, in the year I've been gone, I recently completed an AP Literature and Composition class and earned a 5 on the test, so my writing should be a much higher quality now.

Before I lose y'all completely, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed and/or followed/favorited this story - it really means a lot to me, but I'm even more of an awkward bean online than in real life, so I tend not to PM people when I can - Thank you! So, here are the answers I didn't PM to people:

LeonaMasha - I love that idea for a scene! If I don't put it into the actual story, I'll write the scene and put it in an outtakes TLoS story.

Mistra Rose - I hadn't thought about that, but I would love to put a snake of some sort in, maybe Harry rescues some from an underground smuggling/breeding ring and she adopts one?

Fatalromance - I really appreciate that! Unfortunately, I'm not planning on having them meet very soon, but I am considering starting to write a few scenes from his perspective in the upcoming chapters.

I'd also like to thank my lovely beta tjwillow, who may actually have her own comedy HP fic up soon, about a wasted muggle who mistakenly makes his way through the Wizarding World and just thinks he's really high - I'll keep y'all updated on when this posts, too, if you're interested.

And with that, I must bid you all Adieu!

Too tired for this, RoyalAdvisor13


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